A Day To Remember Show That A Sold Out Metal Show Is Still Possible

ADTR Performing their new song "Degenerates"

Author: Elias Ramirez-Croman

Oct. 27, Minneapolis MN - Who would've thought these scrappy young metal kids from Ocala, Florida would become one of the biggest bands in the world?

A Day To Remember are still on top of their in 2019, years after their contemporaries like Sleeping With Sirens, and The Devil Wears Prada fell off the map of mainstream success, the "All I Want" hit-makers keep getting bigger and bigger. With the follow-up to their Billboard number 2 album Bad Vibrations, fresh on the way, they stopped in Minneapolis' 9000-capacity Armory on their 'Degenerates Tour' last week ready to party.

"I think this is our biggest show we've ever done in Minneapolis" frontman Jeremy McKinnon screamed to the massive crowd, which is true; Aside from opening for blink-182, and a television appearance at US Bank Stadium for the X-Games, their last proper headlining show in the Twin Cities was at St. Paul's Roy Wilkins Auditorium, for the 'House Party Tour' in 2013. The band also made a point of pointing out it was their guitarist, Kevin Skaff's, hometown show. "Thanks for selling it out, you're making us look really good to Kevin's parents who are in the house tonight!" McKinnon continued.

Of course, 'The Degenerates Tour' would not be anywhere near as awesome without its kick-ass lineup of openers. The first band of the night was New Jersey based rockers Can't Swim. The group neglected the majority of their mellow, alternative rock flavored discography in favor of newer, hardcore-influenced songs from their brand new Foreign Language EP. The room was filling up before they even got in, and they used the crowd to their advantage with every chance they got. Halfway through the set a beach ball that was intended for use during ADTR's set got loose, but the band didn't let that stop them in the slightest, instead opting to throw it around the room to hype up the crowd. They were immediately followed by the post-hardcore buzz band Beartooth, who commanded the room like I've never seen before. The crowd was incredibly familiar with their material thanks to the band's relentless touring, and minor radio hits 'Disease' and 'Hated', both of which generated some of the most energy of the night. Lead singer, Caleb Shomo's delivery was great, and the rest of the band's delivery was as tight as ever. "I don't know if you've ever been to a Beartooth shoe before, but we don't take too kindly to people just standing around. I need you all jumping, running, anything. Or else get out of the pit." Shomo declared, to an applauding crowd.

Beartooth's frontman, Caleb Shomo, kept the energy up all throughout their set.

Beartooth's frontman, Caleb Shomo, kept the energy up all throughout their set.

Unfortunately, this point in their set highlighted a major recurring issue of the night, that the venue's high capacity simply didn't take into account the amount of space traditional rock show staples like circle pits, walls of death, and crowd surfing. By the end of Beartooth's set there was a 20-minute gap between bands where everyone at the front was crowded and cramped as everyone tried to crowdsurf or push their way up to the front and there was simply not enough room for everyone in the pit, and very few people were utilizing the side balcony areas. Fortunately, the majority of concert goers were respectful so it wasn't a major issue, but it wasn't ideal either, as a few isolated fights broke out over the course of the night.

I Prevail Perform their fan favourite, "Scars"

I Prevail perform their fan-favorite song 'Scars'.

Of course, this didn't stop the radio rockers, I Prevail from putting on an amazing performance. This was their first performance in Minnesota since their "Rage On The Stage" tour which hit Myth Live in 2017, and the band was as strong as ever. This was their first year back on tour with their full lineup since clean vocalist, Brian Burkheiser had emergency throat surgery following a vocal injury suffered on that same tour. Fortunately, on this run, the group showed off in full force with a collection of songs from their new album Trauma including the radio smash 'Breaking Down'. Their older songs 'Come And Get It' were some of the best moments of the night too, as heavy vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe demanded of the crowd "I need you to show me why fuck we should come back, can you do that?" before initiating a wall of death, "Where are right now, LA? Are y'all some California people? Nah, don't get mad at me, get mad at the person across from you." before the massively climactic to the bridge of 'Come And Get It' which he immediately followed up with "Just kidding, of fucking course we're coming back" before walking off stage.

Then the crowd listened through a collection of classic songs of the PA monitor, from "I Like Big Butts" to "I Want It That Way" waiting for the legends themselves, A Day To Remember to come out. Anticipation built as a curtain dropped, covering the stage, and the security made notes on copies of the band's setlist & production schedule. Then, as the house music slowly got quieter, the crowd got louder, knowing it was time. The familiar chants of 'The Downfall Of Us All' crescendoed beautifully before McKinnon's classic opening scream "Let's Go'" kicked off the night as the curtain collapsed, and the stage was revealed in all of its glossy, white glory. The band played through their classic songs "All I Want" and "Mr. Highway's Thinking About The End" before another curtain dropped behind the drummer, Alex Shelnutt, and a giant video screen was revealed.

The group's brand new song 'Degenerates' off the band's upcoming album You're Welcome got one of the warmest receptions of the night, as someone in a Princess Peach costume shot merch into the audience with a handheld t-shirt launcher and pyrotechnics streamed fire into the air after each chorus. The band led into their fan favorite song "Better Off This Way" with request for "crowd surfers on crowd surfers" while the video screen projected two audience members, "one riding the other like a surfboard" as McKinnon explained, "This is absolutely dangerous and you probably shouldn't do it" he also said, almost sarcastically. Another highlight from the night was when McKinnon came down into the crowd during the emotional bridge of 'Sometimes You're The Hammer, Sometimes You're The Nail' as he high-fived, hugged, and sang with the audience members at barricade.

But of course, all good things must come to an end. The band left the stage for an anxiety inducing 3 minutes before Jeremy & Kevin came back out to perform the band's iconic ballad 'If It Means A Lot To You'. The audiences' tears were illuminated with their phone flashlights and broadcasted to the video screen via fan cam. However, never ones to end on a bitter note, the Ocala boys played through two more fan favorites, 'All Signs Point To Lauderdale' and 'The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle' while throwing toilet paper into the crowd, and launching confetti into the air. As the band chanted the memorable bridge to 'The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle' the whole crowd felt unified, singing, "I'll make my stand right here with my friends" as the show came to it's epic finale.

This was my third time seeing A Day To Remember, and definitely my favorite. Hopefully they don't take another 6 years to come back, but even if they do, I know it'll be worth it.